View Full Version : O'Grady facing credit crunch cutbacks
Paul O'Grady has admitted that his teatime chatshow is facing budget cuts due to the recession.
The TV host is expected to sign a new two-year deal with Channel 4 in the autumn after reaching the end of his current £4 million contract.
According to The Mirror, the star's earnings will drop by half under the new arrangement, while the show's production costs will also be slashed.
"We're all going to have to take a pay cut, that's just how things are," O'Grady told the newspaper. "They are talking about bringing the budgets down and I know we can do it for less money. As long as the show is feasible and we have enough to pay the guests then I'll do it."
The Paul O'Grady Show launched on ITV1 in October 2004, but the comedian defected to Channel 4 fourteen months later after deciding that he wanted greater creative control.
He added: "Channel 4 are a great bunch of people to work with and the crew are lovely. Working at ITV was like being in the court of Caligula."
PAUL O'Grady has admitted he is set to leave Channel 4 in December after cuts to his show's budget - just as TV Biz predicted.
He said: "My show is likely to go at the end of the year.
"We can't make it on that budget - it would just be me and the dog.
"We'd have to be in a tiny studio, with not more than 30 in the audience, and we wouldn't be able to attract the kind of guests we get now.
"I can't believe they want to kill it off. We are making a lively, happy variety show, which nobody else does. It is such a shame."
But all is not lost. Paul is in talks with ITV and Sky - and now the BBC is also in the frame.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2666314/Paul-OGrady-is-set-to-leave-Channel-4-in-December.html
Good, Paul O'Grady annoys me. I've watched his show a few times and it didn't impress me.
I am a regular viewer and have always liked it but must admit that the jokes are always the same now and it is not as funny as it used to be anymore.
Hannelene
03-10-2009, 11:23
Good, Paul O'Grady annoys me. I've watched his show a few times and it didn't impress me.
Me too I can't see what the fuss is all about
Paul O'Grady has announced that he is likely to quit his Channel 4 chatshow at the end of the current series.
The comedian is currently involved in a public dispute with bosses at the broadcaster over rumoured plans to cut his programme's budget by half.
"It's likely to go at the end of the year," O'Grady is quoted by What's On TV as saying. "We can't make it on that budget - it would be just me and the dog.
"We'd have to be in a tiny studio with no more than 30 in the audience, and we wouldn't be able to attract the kind of guests we get now."
He added: "I can't believe they want to kill it off. We are making a lively, happy variety show, which nobody else does. It is such a shame."
O'Grady is now said to be in talks to launch a peaktime weekend show on Sky1 in the New Year.
He will lose viewers on a weekend, his show is not that good to compete against other programmes, and all those who can't get Sky 1
O'Grady is now said to be in talks to launch a peaktime weekend show on Sky1 in the New Year.
He will lose viewers on a weekend, his show is not that good to compete against other programmes, and all those who can't get Sky 1
We all know what happened with Richard and Judy when they moved from C4 to Watch.
Hannelene
07-10-2009, 09:53
So the same thing will happen to Paul
yeah, i think they need to realise that these chat shows only have a certain shelvelife and then its time to move on.
Hannelene
07-10-2009, 11:07
I wish the hosts of these shows realise this as some think they are above all that and think they can continue no matter what
Paul O’Grady is today set to sign an £8million two-year deal for a new ITV chat show in an astonishing U-turn.
He has been lured back with a promise of a primetime slot to run head-to-head on Friday nights against BBC1 star Jonathan Ross.
O’Grady claimed he would “never again” work for the station after quitting in 2006.
The new deal is said to have been overseen by ITV Director of Television Peter Fincham with Channel 4 set to axe O’Grady’s daytime series because of budget cuts of up to 60 per cent.
Recently O’Grady told the Mirror: “Channel 4 are a great bunch of people to work with and the crew are lovely. Working at ITV was like the court of Caligula.”
He entered talks with Sky One but they broke down. And last night it emerged that ITV had tempted him back with a lucrative package, which will involve working far fewer hours.
A source close to the deal said: “This will give Paul the best of both worlds – less work but a big show on a mainstream channel in a primetime slot.
“ITV want him to be their answer to Wossy and plan to expand on his current daytime show by pulling in bigger names, including A-list celebs.
“Paul has a great way of relaxing his interviewees so he’s sure to get great guests onto the show.”
O’Grady, who last week attended the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain awards, is thought to have been persuaded to return because the ITV executives he fell out with, including former programming chief Simon Shaps, have left.
He branded them “petty tyrants” for banning him from using their studios.
Paul defected to Channel 4 in 2006 and launched a blistering attack on his old bosses for “forgetting” to renew his contract.
At the time he moaned he felt “ignored” by bosses, who “took me for granted”.
He explained: “I just felt they weren’t that keen on me. I would get emails but there were no conversations, no one came down to say how well they thought things were going.”
When they banned him from the ITV studios, defiant O’Grady declared: “I’m not going to work for these petty tyrants any more.
“I would rather be sweeping the streets than working for ITV.”
Just a week ago, the former Lily Savage star, 54, hinted his three years on the Channel 4 series, from which he earned around £2million annually, were coming to an end as its £14million budget was set to be slashed to less than £7million.
He said: “It is likely to go at the end of the year. We can’t make it on that money – it would be me and the dog.
“We’d have to be in a tiny studio, with not more than 30 in the audience and we wouldn’t be able to attract the kind of guests we get now.
“I can’t believe they want to kill it off, but after three years, perhaps I have to move on. It’s such a shame.”
In 2007 O’Grady snubbed the chance to return to ITV, opting to keep his programme on Channel 4.
Last night the Scouse star was unavailable for comment.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/10/14/paul-o-grady-set-to-quit-channel-4-for-8m-itv-deal-115875-21745129/
He's not worth my left sock for two years, let alone 8m quid
Paul O'Grady has confirmed that he will move back to ITV in 2010.
The comedian is to front a new primetime Friday night chatshow on ITV1 following a dispute with Channel 4 over planned budget cuts to his daily programme.
O'Grady originally launched his teatime series on ITV1 in 2004. However, he defected to Channel 4 in January 2006 and went on to publicly criticise the way he had been treated by his former employers.
Revealing the reasoning behind his latest switch, the star told The Mirror: "My overwhelming feeling is that this is right for me now. I know that when I left ITV four years ago it was a terrible parting, daggers drawn.
"Hands up, I called them fit to burn. That's the way I am. My gob gets carried away with me and I regret mouthing off later. It's a bit like falling out with a mate. You lose it, tell them to bugger off and then two weeks later you've made up.
"I'm aware there will be accusations of hypocrisy but I've always made it clear I was referring to certain people in the old hierarchy - not the company as a whole."
O'Grady, who has suffered two heart attacks, also explained that concentrating on a weekly show will allow him to have "more respect" for his health. His new project is expected to launch next August.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a182238/paul-ogrady-confirms-itv-deal.html
Hannelene
17-10-2009, 09:07
I never knew he was so money orientated :(
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